Lionel Messi superfan to meet Barcelona star for real

You might not be familiar with Murtaza Ahmadi's name but you're almost certain to have seen his photo over the past week or so.

The five-year-old boy became an internet superstar recently after a picture of him wearing a home-made Lionel Messi shirt (crafted from a blue and white striped carrier bag) did the rounds on social media.

The little Afghan kid will meet Messi and get a true Lionel Messi shirt soon!

Indeed, the photo sparked a worldwide search to track the little guy down, with Messi's PR team reportedly joining the hunt in order to set up a special one-on-one between Murtaza and his football idol.

After several false leads it was eventually ascertained that Murtaza hails from the remote Ghanzi region of southern Afghanistan. As such, the country's football federation were able to track the youngster and his family down and pencil in a window for Messi to fly in and meet his most famous fan.

"We have been in contact with Leo Messi and Barcelona to arrange a meeting," announced Afghan FA spokesman Syed Ali Kazemi.

Looks like there's going to be a happy ending to one of the most adorable football yarns of recent years.